Community Automotive Repair

Reviews

Reviews are sorted by relevance, with the most helpful and insightful feedback listed first for easy reference.

  John Sage
4 weeks ago
This was the first time bringing my vehicle for service to Community Automotive Service (CAR). In late November 2023 scheduled an 8:00am appointment to wait while having the tires changed from all-season to winter tires, with balancing. Since I lived within five minutes walking distance I went home to "wait". After not receiving a call back after a couple of hours I called and was informed that the technician had not started and that it was a "busy" day. After I made another call (they never called me) and was told it was not ready and the technician was on break, I walked over and waited in their lobby for about 90 minutes. The vehicle was not ready for pickup until the mid afternoon. The CAR cost was about twice the $110 amount that I just recently paid at the Subaru Service Center for the same service (switching the winter tires off with balancing) - where it took around 90 minutes. I tried Community Auto Repair (CAR) because it was very close to where I live, thought that the service would be comparable and that the cost would be lower than Subaru, or possibly the same. It was a very disappointing experience and the cost way too high for the services rendered.3/27 - changed the overall rating from one star to three because of the replies from CAR (they texted me as well). I also removed the "I do not recommend taking a vehicle there"... because many people have had very good experiences taking their vehicles there. Unfortunately, that was not my experience. My intent of the post was to let others know my experience and that is it. Potential future customers of CAR can use whatever feedback or information at their disposal to decide whether to patronize CAR or not. The service and pricing may have not been to my liking, but they are respectful and thoughtful people.

  Truth Seeker
6 months ago
very pleased with the service I received. Great communication, and honest. Madison did a great job keeping me updated on progress. I also spoke with Dana the technician that had done the the repairs, and informed me what needed to be done. Also the owner Brandon, who I scheduled my appointment with, listened to my concerns and took very detailed notes.

  Shaun Sebastian
a week ago
I drive by this place quite often and have been looking to get an APR Stage 1 tune for my VW Golf Alltrack. The place always looks super busy and yesterday was no different. On a whim, I called to see when the next available day would be good to have the software installed. Low and behold, the service manager offered to squeeze me in that day. Nic the tech, did an extremely good job on the installation and was very knowledgeable about my vehicle, which is refreshing. I highly recommend CAR for any software installs for tuning. They did an amazing job and answered all of my questions (which was a lot) both important and mundane.

  Jonathon Carrillo
3 months ago
Had a misunderstanding here a bit ago but their team did an amazing job at reaching out and making sure we got things figured out. Great care and service here by people who seem to genuinely care about the community they help and support. Big thank you to the mechanics and Madison for following up with me and ensuring a thorough inspection of my car and providing great details of the issues. They went above and beyond my expectations. This will undoubtedly be the new regular place I take my vehicle to.

  Steve Beidler
3 months ago
Always very friendly and willing to help. We bring a lot of cars their way for pre purchase inspections and they always do thorough and honest work.They were also willing to go out of their way to help me sell a vehicle!Small businesses helping small businesses is an awesome thing! Highly recommend Community!

  Alec Daniels
2 months ago
I am more than pleased with the service that was provided. Madison specifically, she was phenomenal and helped me with finding an elusive transmission for my GTI. They are extremely friendly and helpful, and also reasonably priced. I would highly suggest bringing your car there.

  Nick Spira
a month ago
Brought my car to a shop near me 4 separate times to try and find the noise coming from my car. Ended up brining it to community auto repair and got it fixed the first time. The staff is very friendly and they know so much about foreign cars. Can t thank them enough for actually looking into what I thought the problem was. A lot of shops will tell you anything but the truth. And this shop did everything right. The just gained a loyal customer.

  Robert Cooper
3 months ago
We recently returned to the area after a 4 year relocation in TX came to an end. Within a few weeks we needed service for our vehicle, back to Community. It was comforting to know what to expect and receive it. While some of the personnel has changed, the integrity honesty and good communication remains constant.

  Nathan Howard
2 months ago
On New Year's Eve I drove to Grand Rapids to visit a friend for three days. On the drive to Grand Rapids, my 2005 Toyota Camry began having a bad vibration that felt like it was coming underneath the steering wheel near the tire/axle. I needed to return home on January 3, but no place was open on New Year's Day. A friend of my friend vouched for Community, saying that they treat their customers right. When I visited, I met Gabe at the front desk and I told him my situation. He worked to fit me in on January 3 despite an obvious backlog of cars to service. The problem did turn out to be a bad axle. They had my car ready, as promised, by 4:00 on January 3. I appreciate their willingness to help an out-of-towner and I appreciate their honesty.

  Rebekah Hibma
6 months ago
I can t recommend Community Automotive Repair highly enough. We ve really appreciated the dedicated customer service Dave has provided over the last 15 years and trust his guidance completely. He and the crew are always able to get our cars in and complete the work in a timely manner all while providing that high level of excellency we ve grown to expect.

  Jay Cee
2 months ago
Got me in quickly after my 2011 Nissan Juke died suddenly. They did a very thorough inspection and found problems in addition to the original issue. Dave did an exemplary job of explaining the repairs to be done, and Eli did awesome work. All in all, the price was fair for the extensive work that was done. Great job team!John ClarkServices: General repairs & maintenance, Oil change

  JT Farmer
a year ago
Best place around for high performance European cars! They have done all of the installation and tuning on my 2015 Audi S4. My car has spent a total of over 2.5 months in their shop for a big project - I ve asked countless questions, sent many text messages, called too many times to count - and they respond every time, and are happy to chat.It s been great working with them to build my dream. Todd goes above and beyond to make sure things are done right.

  Jay Begrow
2 months ago
I have worked with Community Auto for the past few years with my older Subaru. What keeps me coming back is the honest feedback, thorough inspections, and easy communication.

  Maxwell Taylor (MHTBravo)
4 months ago
I made the right choice!I moved back to the Grand Rapids area back in September 2019. Shortly after moving here I bought a new (to me) car. Whenever I get to a new area I look for three specific buisness to become a regular at. A barber, a coffee shop and a mechanic. I did all my research online mainly via reviews and landed on Community Automotive. The first expirience I had was when I brought my car in for an inspection. I did not get one before I bought the car. (Shame on me.) They completed the inspection rather quickly and gave me list of suggestions but did not try to pressure me into getting any expensive work done right away. I ended up coming back a couple months later to go ahead and get that suggested work done. I did everything but the brakes they suggested. Now that leads me to my one and only gripe. I did not get the brakes done because they wanted over $500 just for the front brakes and that seemed high to me. But they completed everything else for me in a nice timely manner. And when I had a small issue relating to the maintenance performed I came back and the adjusted the issue quickly and for free! Kevin specifically is the one who I had the most contact with and he was very helpful.This place has a few horror story reviews, but I learned that in most cases those are retaliation for something the customer probably messed up or misunderstood. And it seems Community Automotive apologized and fessed up to any mistakes they KNOW they made. So dont let those scary 1 star reviews keep you away.All in all, I will probably be returning to this shop as long as the quality of service stays the same!Thanks guys!2023 Update:I recently purchased a new to me 2001 E320 Mercedes-Benz. I was experiencing an odd electrical problem with the car, so I brought it in for diagnosis. I had an idea of what was causing the issue but wanted an expert to look at it. The diagnosis I was provided with made no sense with the symptoms I was advising. I feel as though this was a fault of communication between the service advisor and the actual mechanic. I asked to speak with the mechanic and was just told he was too busy. I ended up paying over $400 for an oil change and a diagnosis that was completely unhelpful and incorrect as I found the problem. I was almost charged another almost $400 for something that would have not solved my problem.I went home and fixed the problem myself for $200. I am disappointed because I had such good experiences 2 years ago with my Subaru. I am not sure if I will return or not.

  Stacey Murphy
6 days ago
Very friendly and accommodating, sent a detailed estimate with pictures and called to talk me through it, let me choose which things to do now. Car was clean and running well. Thanks!

  Dominic D
2 months ago
*EditThe way that this hiring process went, It is reasonable for someone to think that personal bias/discrimination is to be a possibility. When during the skills test for an oil tech position the interviewee wasn t even tested on an oil change skill level, like they were told in the first interview. The pay scale was $15-18/hr based on skills. I was offered $15 based on my skills. That makes no sense. Then I was told that my references would be checked after I mentioned that my skills weren t even properly tested.I ve let some time pass so that I can write a fair review. I was in the midst of the hiring process around Aug 2023. I had to turn them down because they seemed too unsure about my qualifications, which is odd when they didn t test my knowledge of simply changing oil during the skills test. I believe there is some personal bias and even possibly discrimination going on with their hiring processes. I had two interviews here, one verbal, which went well, followed by a skills test. The position I applied for was simply an oil tech. During the skills test I wasn t even tested on my ability to change oil whatsoever. The lead tech seemed to be more interested in my personal life interests and was acting oddly. I do all of my own oil changes and I know the basics of vehicle maintenance strongly. The hiring manager seemed to be interested in hiring me, hence why I moved forward to the skills test. No one should be faced with any type of discrimination when applying for a job that they are qualified for. This process was not professional and I hope anyone looking to work here considers this review

  Heather Mull
a week ago
Community auto is honest, and always does a great job. It is so nice to have a honest place to take your car for repair.

  C E
5 months ago
Recently, I bought my BMW in for service due to a coolant leak. Madison was great and kept me updated on the progress. Will definitely return for any future repairs or service.

  Ken G.
2 months ago
Community Auto has always done a great job of servicing and repairing our vehicles. Over 15 years or so they have worked on numerous European vehicles we ve had and it s always been taken care of the first time. I ve also had them perform pre-purchase inspections on our current vehicles. CAR gave us peace of mind with the purchases, and both have been very reliable for us. I trust them to have the knowledge, skills and tools to handle any job.Services: Auto engine diagnostic, Vehicle Inspection, Vehicle safety inspection

  John Tegner
2 months ago
Community Automotive is a vital alternative to the dealerships. CA has excellent service knowledge of the best auto brands and products and a clear desire to serve customers first. Really appreciate and recommend them to anyone needing auto service.Community replaced front brakes last year. Six months later noticed a brake noise, brought it in for inspection. Turns out the brake pads, while premium, were defective. Community replaced the pads right away and at no charge. Integrity!!!Service: Tires

  Jack Rabidue
5 months ago
Dave did a great job getting my Jeep in for repair. Technician Andy did A-1 job on replacement of my wheel bearing. If you need repair on your vehicle this is the place to go. I take my vehicles there because their honest and go the extra mile to help you.Services: Transmission, Electrical repair, Air & cabin filter replacement, Exhaust, TiresServices: Transmission, Electrical repair, Air & cabin filter replacement, Exhaust, Tires

  Crystal Miller
6 months ago
Excellent customer service. Everyone was friendly. Very knowledgeable of my mini cooper. They take time to tell you what is going on with your vehicle and keep you informed.I will continue to take my car to be serviced there.Service: Electrical repair

  Jon Greenleaf
10 months ago
My son had a 2012 Passat that had been sitting in his parking lot for over 2 years. We needed a car for my wife. We live in the Upper Peninsula & the car was in Grand Rapids. We contacted CAR & they were wonderful to work with. Madison was our point person & she updated us frequently as we wanted the car to be gone over with any repairs to make it operable & safe. They did a thorough job on getting it running. I would recommend them even though I was never physically on site.Services: Steering & suspension replacement, Electrical, Vehicle Inspection, Auto maintenance

  Evan Kay
a month ago
Great shop, highly recommend! No matter what car you have, or what you need done, I'm pretty sure their techs have seen it all and how to fix it.

  Keely Cooley
4 months ago
I went in to have the door wiring troubleshot and some wheel vibration fixed. The vibration is almost gone but what I spent money on was the door and they replaced only the motor , the motor as i explainedwas never the issue its the new module i installed. Oh yeah and I mentioned my drivers door didn't lock and they left it in an unlocked lot with my door fully unlocked as I mentioned before. It was driven maybe ten miles is all and I still have vibration at anything considered acceleration . They did great with my grandmother's saab 9-5 04 but not my 9-3 06 . Would be nice to be heard when I say things like i know what's wrong with it here's all my money. Don't figure it out fix it.

  Emily Briggs
7 months ago
Community Auto is absolutely stellar! Everyone is easy to work with, but I especially appreciate Madison. The communication is top-notch, prices almost always beat out any competitors, and very timely work. Highly recommend, 10/10.Service: Auto maintenanceService: Auto maintenance

  Omar Flores
7 months ago
I was so happy with my service. I actually suggested that I needed certain service, and they looked at it and informed me that the problem was different than I thought, and that the cost of the repair was about 1/3 of what I thought it would be. Not only was this the case, but the work was done early, they stayed in constant contact via text and email and everything happened without incident or surprise. This was my first experience with CAR, but it will not be my last.Services: Transmission, Auto brake repair, Auto battery maintenance, Auto maintenance

  A P
8 months ago
Community automotive really took care of. Unfortunately we received a bad set of rotors that caused a pulsation in my front brakes. When I brought it up to them they quickly remedy the problem. They got my car back into the shop as quickly as possible and replace the rotors at no charge. No one is perfect but I was very impressed with how they remedied the problem. Their customer service is phenomenal.

  Drew Hall
8 months ago
Great shop with great service. Communicated extremely well with me throughout the process. Dave, who was assigned to my car, did an excellent job working with me to get the fixes I needed on my car for a reasonable price. I highly recommend.

  Mike Zingaretti
4 months ago
Madison did a great job as my service advisor, I m very pleased with the responsiveness and quality of work provided.